Once considered an elite prospect, Brett Wallace now has few lingering believers.  The 2008 1st round pick has already been with four organizations, and is currently passing time in the Pacific Coast League at Oklahoma City, Triple-A affiliate of the Astros.  Houston gave Wallace ample opportunity to prove his worth in 2011, but he effectively squandered the 350+ PA, posting a .259 AVG and a .110 ISO, which is pretty miserable coming from a 1B.  During a brief stint in the bigs earlier this year, the 25-year-old was much improved, batting .333/.429/.583 in 42 PA.  Granted, it’s a small sample, but it conjured memories of why we touted Wallace in the first place — outstanding plate coverage, lightning-quick hands, beautiful lefty stroke, advanced approach, power potential… the works, really, from a hitting perspective.  Jeff Luhnow — Houston’s brilliant 1st-year GM, and the man who drafted Wallace in 2008 while handling player procurement for the Cardinals — recently acknowledged that the first baseman should resurface in the bigs before long, which is kind of an ambiguous timetable.  Regardless, Wallace’s Triple-A production has been big of recent (.371/.476/.600 through last ten), and he could be useful in NL-Only and deep mixed formats should he return to Houston anytime soon.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Los Angeles Angels 2011 Minor League Review

Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America:

2011 (15) | 2010 (26) | 2009 (25) | 2008 (11) | 2007 (4) | 2006 (4)

2011 Affiliate Records

MLB: [86-76] AL West

AAA: [62-82] Pacific Coast League – Salt Lake

AA: [68-69] Texas League – Arkansas

A+: [69-71] California League – Inland Empire

A: [61-68] Midwest League – Cedar Rapids

R: [46-30] Pioneer League – Orem

The Run Down

Unfortunately for the likes of Mike Trout and Garret Richards, the Angels spent big this offseason, and in turn, they seem to have clogged up any prospect throughways.  Barring injury, I don’t see much opportunity in 2012 for this Los Angeles farm system.  Trout is a top overall prospect and anyone drafting in keepers should definitely consider him.  Richards will compete for the fifth starter role, and there are a handful of arms who could get a chance in the bullpen, but beyond that, there isn’t much fantasy relevance just yet.  Looking a little further ahead, the Angels’ system could yield quite a bit of fantasy production, as Trout and Richards settle into regular roles along with Jean Segura and 2010 first-rounder, Kaleb Cowart.

Please, blog, may I have some more?